Graphical Abstract:

Abstract:

Depression is a serious psychiatric illness that affects millions of people worldwide. Weeks
of antidepressant therapy are required to relieve depressive symptoms, and new drugs are still being
extensively researched. The latest studies have shown that in depression, there is an imbalance
between the main excitatory (glutamatergic) and inhibitory (GABAergic) systems. Administration of
antagonists of the glutamatergic system, including zinc, has shown an antidepressant effect in
preclinical as well as clinical studies. Zinc inhibits the NMDA receptor via its binding site located on
one of its subunits. This is thought to be the main mechanism explaining the antidepressant properties
of zinc. In the present review, a link between zinc and the glutamatergic system is discussed in the context of depressive
disorder.

Abstract:Depression is a serious psychiatric illness that affects millions of people worldwide. Weeks
of antidepressant therapy are required to relieve depressive symptoms, and new drugs are still being
extensively researched. The latest studies have shown that in depression, there is an imbalance
between the main excitatory (glutamatergic) and inhibitory (GABAergic) systems. Administration of
antagonists of the glutamatergic system, including zinc, has shown an antidepressant effect in
preclinical as well as clinical studies. Zinc inhibits the NMDA receptor via its binding site located on
one of its subunits. This is thought to be the main mechanism explaining the antidepressant properties
of zinc. In the present review, a link between zinc and the glutamatergic system is discussed in the context of depressive
disorder.